Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres odds and lines, with expert NHL picks, predictions and best bets.

The Carolina Hurricanes (50-19-9) play the 2nd of a 3-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres (38-32-7) Saturday. Puck drop from KeyBank Center is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Hurricanes vs. Sabres odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Hurricanes opened their road trip by laying an egg in a 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators Thursday. Carolina leads the Metropolitan Division with 109 points and is just 1 point clear of the second-place New Jersey Devils but has a game in hand.

The Sabres suffered a damaging 2-1 loss on the road against the Florida Panthers Tuesday but picked up 2 important points with a 7-6 victory at the Detroit Red Wings Thursday.

While Buffalo is not mathematically eliminated from the postseason chase just yet, it trails Florida and the New York Islanders by 6 points for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card. The Panthers and Isles have 3 games remaining and the Sabres only have 5 left so the wiggle room is quickly disappearing for Buffalo to sneak into the playoffs.

This is the 3rd and final regular-season meeting between these teams. Carolina won 5-3 at home against the Sabres as the Over (6.5) cashed on Nov. 4 and won 5-1 in Buffalo with an Under (6.5) result on Feb. 1.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

Hurricanes at Sabres odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:40 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Hurricanes -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Sabres +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes -1.5 (+145) | Sabres +1.5 (-175)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)

Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!

Hurricanes at Sabres projected goalies

Antti Raanta (18-2-3, 2.20 GAA, .911 SV%, 4 SO) vs. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (17-11-4, 3.61 GAA, .891 SV%)

Raanta has been on fire lately, winning both of his April starts, including a 14-save shutout on the road against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday. He hasn’t lost in regulation in 18 starts and 1 relief appearance dating back to Nov. 12 in Colorado, going 15-0-2 along that span.

The Finnish netminder was in net for both victories against Buffalo this season, going 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .927 SV%.

Luukkonen allowed 3 goals on 42 shots in a 6-3 road win against the Philadelphia Flyers last Saturday. The 24-year-old — also from Finland — has won back-to-back starts for the 1st time since a 3-game win streak from Jan. 19-24.

UPL lost his only start against the Canes back on Feb. 1, coughing up 4 goals on 33 shots.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Hurricanes at Sabres picks and predictions

Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Sabres 2

Moneyline

The HURRICANES (-160) are decent favorites on the road as they look to bounce back after getting blanked in the Music City Thursday.

While Carolina has dropped 2 of the past 3 on the road while averaging just 1.7 goals per game, it faces a Sabres team that has 1 foot in the grave in terms of playoff possibilities.

Puck line/Against the spread

The Sabres +1.5 (-175) are a little on the expensive side in what should be a tight game.

Buffalo has won just twice in the past 8 games at KeyBank Center and is 1-5 in its last 6 games when playing on a single day of rest. It’s also just 1-6 in the past 7 games at home against Carolina and has won just 7 of the previous 27 meetings with the Canes overall.

PASS.

Over/Under

UNDER 6.5 (+100) is a decent play at even money.

The Hurricanes have cashed the Under in 6 games in a row overall and their last 4 on the road. The Under has cashed in 5 straight for Carolina against Eastern Conference teams, too.

The Under cashed for Buffalo last time out in Florida, and the total has gone low at a 3-2-1 clip in the past 6 games overall.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]

Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The Carolina Hurricanes (33-9-8) hit the road to face the Buffalo Sabres (26-19-4) Wednesday at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Hurricanes vs. Sabres odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Hurricanes fell behind 4-1 against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday in Raleigh before rallying for 3 goals in the 3rd period to force overtime. Eventually, Sebastian Aho scored the game-winning goal in OT, his 5th straight game lighting the lamp, too.

The Sabres were tripped up 3-2 in a shootout in Minnesota on Saturday, snapping a 5-game winning streak. However, Buffalo has picked up at least a point in 7 games in a row. The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 outings.

The Hurricanes (-205) won the 1st meeting against Buffalo this season 5-3 on Nov. 4 in Carolina as the 6.5 Over cashed.

Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!

Hurricanes at Sabres odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:34 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Hurricanes -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Sabres +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes -1.5 (+145) | Sabres +1.5 (-170)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Catch the excitement and bet with Tipico

Double Down, Ohio! Deposit $200, Get $250. Bet now!

In Colorado and New Jersey, claim your 100% Deposit Match up to $250 now. Bet now! 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions.

Hurricanes at Sabres projected goalies

Antti Raanta (12-2-3, 2.55 GAA, .897 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (13-5-2, 3.26 GAA, .901 SV%)

Raanta allowed 3 goals on 29 shots in a 5-4 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks last time out on Friday night in Raleighwood. He actually was on the short end of a 3-2 score, and the Sharks scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-2. However, the Canes rallied for 2 goals with an extra attacker, and he ended up winning in OT.

UPL allowed a pair of goals on 35 shots in Saturday’s 3-2 SOL against the Wild, snapping a 3-game winning streak. He is 6-2-1 with a 3.06 GAA and .907 SV% in 9 starts in January.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Hurricanes at Sabres picks and predictions

Prediction

Sabres 4, Hurricanes 3

Moneyline

The SABRES (+135) are a solid value on home ice in the final game before the All-Star break for both sides.

The Hurricanes (-155) had an emotional comeback win in OT over the Kings on Tuesday night, and then hopped a flight to western New York. According to flightaware.com, the Canes didn’t land in Buffalo until 12:27 a.m. ET, so they likely didn’t get to the team hotel until at least 2 a.m. It’s a tough turnaround playing in less than 24 hours, while the Sabres are rested, last playing Saturday.

Puck line/Against the spread

The SABRES +1.5 (-170) aren’t priced terribly out of line if you’d like a little bit of insurance. While I like Buffalo straight up due to the tough back-to-back situation for Carolina, the Sabres are a solid play on the puck line, too. Buffalo has covered the puck line as an underdog in 4 straight outings, while going 5-1 in the last 6 on the puck line as a ‘dog.

Over/Under

The OVER 6.5 (-110) is the lean, as Raanta has allowed 3 or more goals in all 3 of his starts in January, and 7 of his last 9 starts since the start of December.

The Over is also 6-1 in the last 7 games for the Canes on the road, while going 6-2 in the last 8 when playing on no rest.

The Over is 16-5-1 in the last 22 against Metropolitan Division teams for the Sabres, while cashing at a 16-5-5 clip in the last 26 meetings with the Canes.

Want action on this matchup or any other NHL games? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in OH, CO and NJ. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]